Seven in 10 Gwinnett residents like its schools, poll shows

Baldwin Elementary School in Norcross welcomes students into the building on their first day back to school on Monday, August 8, 2016. EMILY JENKINS/ EJENKINS@AJC.COM

Baldwin Elementary School in Norcross welcomes students into the building on their first day back to school on Monday, August 8, 2016. EMILY JENKINS/ EJENKINS@AJC.COM

More than seven in 10 Gwinnett County residents believe its public schools are “good” or “excellent”, according to a new Atlanta Regional Commission report.

The poll, released Friday, found about 34 percent of Gwinnett residents believe its schools are excellent, 37 percent say they are good, 16 percent think they are fair and about 7 percent rated Gwinnett schools as poor. The remaining six percent said they did not know.

Gwinnett residents, like people in other area counties, think much more of schools in their county than those across the region. Forty percent of Gwinnett residents rated public education in the region as excellent or good.

The results also show a smaller percentage of metro Atlanta residents are involved in Parent Teacher Associations. About 24 percent of residents participated in a PTA this year as opposed to 27 percent last year, the report found.

Nearly 1,000 Gwinnett residents were interviewed for the annual poll, Metro Atlanta Speaks, which also asked how they feel about crime, the economy, transportation, the quality of life in the county and other matters. Improving transportation was the top concern among area residents for the third consecutive year.

You can find test scores, graduation rates and other critical information about your school at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s new Ultimate Atlanta School guide.